Parish Church of Saint Michael the Archangel of Samboan

Official Name: Parish Church of Saint Michael the Archangel of Samboan[1]

Classification Status: Classified Historic Structures (covering all Colonial Churches and other Houses of Worship, per NHCP Res. No. 3, s. 1991)[1]

Town or City: Samboan

Description:
San Miguel Arcangel Church is a Roman Catholic church located in Samboan, a southwestern town in the province of Cebu. It is also referred to as San Miguel Arcangel Church or Samboan Church.[2]

History
St. Michael the Archangel Church in Samboan was part of the parish of Tanjay, Negros Oriental. It became a separate parish on November 3, 1784. The church was built within the tenure of Fr. Romualdo Avila in 1842.

Heritage
National Historical Commission of the Philippines (NHCP) recognized the historic and cultural importance of Samboan Church. The government agency installed a Level II marker, a designation that it is a heritage zone/historic center, in 2016.[2]

Architecture
Similar to Malabuyoc Church, the church’s facade has four pilasters, the innermost two terminate in the cornice at the pediment and their finials appear to melt into the stonewall. The outermost ones have finials that bound the pediment, a wall surface that is pierced with a rose window and rises to an acroterium with a cross. Pilasters partitioned the facade into three vertical panels while cornices divide it into two levels and a pediment.

One enters the church through an arched entryway in the ground level flanked by arched windows with openwork. On top of the keystone of the door is a decorative relief. Above it is a relief of the seal of the Spanish royalty, which means that the church received funds directly from Spain that were used for its construction. In the upper register is the recessed niche of the patron, sparsely ornamented. Flanking it are rectangular windows with wrought ironwork. In the epistle side of the church is the octagonal bell tower.[2]

Source:
1. https://ncca.gov.ph/philippine-registry-cultural-property-precup/
2. https://www.theoldchurches.com/philippines/cebu/samboan/saint-michael-the-archangel-church-in-samboan-cebu/